A tarot runes reading is a variation of tarot reading. Instead of image cards being read, mystical meanings are derived from “runes”. So what are “runes”? Runes are extremely old letters that pre-date the Middle Ages. They were often carved in stone called runestones. There’s a lot of opinion on where they came from and what their purpose was. And while there is a great deal we do not know about runes, there are some things that we do know.

First off, runes mostly originated from people who lived in what is now present-day Germany. Runes have also been recorded from various areas of present-day Scandinavian countries as well as Britain (Anglos-Saxon Runes) and even some North African communities (shamans rune). Runes pre-date the Latin alphabet. In fact it is the widespread adoption of Latin that displaced the rune alphabet (which I will get into later).

There is not just one rune alphabet. There are probably 5-6 surviving rune alphabets that we know of which had widespread use. There is a great deal of mystery surrounding runes specifically due to what we don’t know about them rather than what we do know. We know that each runestone (symbol) has a unique name but we don’t actually know what it is. It is tempting to think of runes as modern day letters that would be used to construct words in our modern language. For example runestone “A” would be used for every instance of the letter “A”. However, evidence suggests that each rune was a lot more complex.

In the time runes were prevalent, they each had their own symbol which had a more complicated meaning that could be combined with other runes to created deeper meanings. Think of each rune representing a general phrase rather than a letter. Then consider that early rune alphabets seemed to represent various deities as well – each with a unique sphere of influence. Again very little specifically is know about each rune in a rune alphabet. That knowledge just never survived that time in history. You can begin to the see the layered meaning and interpretive value of the rune alphabet. For example (and this is just hypthetical), you could have a run for “Boooooo” which could be how certain starting words sounded added to the concept of “scary” or “haunted” or “ghostly”. Then there could be a deity for “fear and earthly sprits” which is represented by the rune symbol. Yet, all we we see is a “boooo” sound represented as a letter-symbol and losely Germanic sound for that letter-symbol.

Can You Do Runes Future Readings?

The mysterious nature of runes including their murky origins and original uses and complexities (still not fully understood to this day) help it endure as an object of divination. In the Middle Ages, as the Church continued to gain influence and prominence in the regions were runes were widely used, runes lost their appeal. The Church could not understand runes and quickly realized their meaning went beyond the practical. There wasn’t room enough for runes AND the Christian Church in the world of the spiritual, so runes were declared occult and evil and thus incompatible with Church dogma. Naturally, this led to it’s decline and eventual demise.

It’s important to note that runes didn’t just go away. There was a concerted effort to displace runic alphabets with Latin – the language and concept of the Church. Perhaps, the Church feared more than just carved stones? Runes still carry a lot of mysteries and unanswered questions. And the value attached to each rune letter went beyond the physical realm.

Like Tarot Cards, runes may be a useful tool in channelling psychic abilities and energies. There may be nothing special to the rune itself. Just like any door knob is pretty well the same, it’s what’s behind the door that is of value. So to get to what’s behind the door, you have to use the door knob and turn it open to get through. In this way, runes may be an object of mysticism and a tool to uncovering things about you and your future that can’t be revealed any other way. I make this point to address any fear that there is some curse or inherent “power” in a runestone or rune letter itself. It’s how they are used, rather than the object itself.

Want to know what runes look like so you can do your own online tarot and rune readings me? Want to see the familiarity between more modern runes and the english language alphabet. You’ll be surprised by the similarities. Perhaps you would like to experiment with your own Runes? I’ve got 12 Rune Fonts that you can download (for free!) to your computer and create your own runic code, message, text, or cards to use for your own divination practice!

I came across these excellent Rune fonts and I want you to have them and explore runes yourself! Use them for your own free rune readings. Download your own Free Runes Fonts today (No sign-up required!) courtesy of TarotOnlineReading.com. Enjoy!

Andrew Rotta is an author, promoter and believer the art of psychics, tarot, and related spiritual fields. While Rotta himself has not yet uncovered his own innate psychic ability, his enthusiasm, support, and knowledge in these areas is a lifelong passion. Andrew Rotta also created and operates the Tarot Online Reading Psychic site.